HP Slate 7 Android tablet now available

HP has just released its 7″ Android tablet in the US – the Slate 7. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and features an ARM Cortex-A9 Dual-Core (1.6 GHz) processor, 8GB internal memory, 1GB DDR3 SDRAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 1024 x 600 screen. It has a front-facing (VGA) webcam and a 3MP rear-facing webcam. A microSD slot allows for expandable memory, upto 32GB. The HP Slate 7 also features Beats Audio built in, which is designed to deliver richer and more robust sound to your ears. It’s available for $169.99 from HP.com.

Not even close. For an extra $30, I can get a Nexus 7 with 16gb storage, quad-core Tegra 3, and guaranteed support and upgrades along with a higher-res screen (1280×800). In specs and price, this is more a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 2.0 competitor… and it came put far too late.

Given HP’s half-hearted tablet support, I don’t see any reason to get this over the Tab 7 2.0, much less a Kindle Fire 7″, which has a better screen and costs $20 less.

Another new tablet worth a look is the Novo 7 Venus that launched last month that’s available for $149 through a site called TabletSprint — this new model runs Android 4.2 and compares closely to the Nexus 7 — featuring a Quad Core processor and HD 1280×800 IPS Screen; while also offering a few features the Nexus doesn’t — including a 2-Megapixel rear camera, a MicroSD memory card slot, and HDMI 1080p; plus 3G internet connection through its USB port – TabletSprint also includes $25 in Bonus Apps.

Then the question is, why did HP make such a tablet as this? I agree, there is nothing to recommend it over the Nexus, or even the Tab or even (not completely sure of this last one), the Kindle Fire. It cannot be making HP too much money either. Maybe it’s a foothold in the market to test things out. Agreed the price is low and has some advantages of the non-well known names that might frighten some off by their perceived quality. Ho hem!

Richard: because HP decided, after abandoning the tablet market, that it made a mistake and decided to announce a low-end tablet six months before releasing it… so they could try to prove themselves relevant.

If it wasn’t for Samsung or Acer or Google releasing better, cheaper tablets… or if Apple hadn’t released the iPad Mini, or if the Galaxy Tab 3 hadn’t been announced… or if Amazon or B&N fidnt have the Kindle Fire or Nook HD… then maybe the Slate 7 might have been relevant.

Even now, I’m having a hard time seeing someone walking into a Walmart to buy this when they could get a Samsung Galaxy Tab, or go online to get a Kindle Fire for the same price.